Adelaide Fringe

Fringe Review: Ugly Duckling

Adopted into a family of beautiful swans, Duckie doesn’t quite belong, and after being tossed out onto the street she has to rely on her strength and perseverance to achieve her bold ambitions of grandeur.

Presented by Karla Hillam
Reviewed 6 March 2018

Adopted into a family of beautiful swans, Duckie doesn’t quite belong, and after being tossed out onto the street she has to rely on her strength and perseverance to achieve her bold ambitions of grandeur.

The audience is first introduced to Duckie; a determined duckling who, upon discovering that only cygnets turn into swans, decides that her dreams will not be put on hold because of her lack of societally-approved beauty. She must independently work her way through life’s hardships, like falling for gay members of the opposite sex, getting into fights with scary bogans and being eaten for dinner, all to the tunes of both new and old pop songs that get the audience grooving.

What is a fun and adventurous show does still feel confusing at times as the storyline begins to wind its way into scenarios that seem completely out there. One of these appears to be possibly bestiality, with the love between a duck and what appears to be a human male taking place, which is a rather odd element to the show and adds to its confusion.

Karla Hillam is an impressive ball of glittering energy on stage as she gives the audience 110% throughout the show. She succeeds in engaging the audience throughout the performance with her character voices, dramatic acting and animated dance moves. She also provides most of the show’s vocals and is at times fantastic, but not consistently so – there are issues around staying in key which can make bolder notes uncomfortable to listen to.

Dressed in the shortest shorts seen on stage this Fringe (and that’s saying something), Andrew Kroenert provides keyboard, guitar and even kazoo accompaniments to Hillam. As the show goes on, Kroenert’s presence becomes more important and he provides a welcome positive addition to Duckie’s adventures.

The costumes are outrageous in the way that cabaret costumes are; glitter and sparkles twinkling in the stage lights, long and luscious lashes, diamante covered heels shaped like webbed feet and (appropriately) a tutu of flouncy feathers. The bold costumes appropriately match the bold humour and energy of the show’s leading lady, combining to capture the audience’s attention throughout the hour-long production.

Ugly Duckling is a feather-filled and diamante dazzling cabaret that takes the audience on an unusual and sometimes confusing interpretation of this classic literary fairy tale.

Reviewed by Georgina Smerd
Twitter: @Georgie_xox

Rating out of 5:  3

Venue:  Thelma, A Space Called at RAJOPOLIS at Raj House, 54 Hyde St, Adelaide, SA, 5000
Season:  7 – 18 March
Duration:  60 min
Tickets:  $25 – $35
Bookings:  https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/ugly-duckling-af2018

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